Fierce HealthcareNot all doctors were behind the appointment of fellow physician Tom Price as the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. But with Price’s confirmation to the post last week, some doctor’s groups are looking to Price to make changes that will benefit physicians, including easing MACRA requirements.READ MORE

Fierce HealthcareHe’s been a longtime congressman and an orthopedic surgeon, and now Tom Price has a new title: secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. After 30 hours of debate, the Senate voted 52 to 47 along party lines in the early morning hours Friday to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick to oversee HHS.READ MORE

Fierce HealthcareWhile some say MACRA enjoys bipartisan support and is here to stay, two authors are hoping a new administration will introduce changes so doctors are no longer tied to their computers and electronic medical records. READ MORE

Capital Public RadioThe confirmation of Tom Price, the orthopedic surgeon-turned-Georgia congressman, as secretary of Health and Human Services on Friday represents the latest victory in the ascendancy of a little-known but powerful group of conservative physicians in Congress – the GOP Doctors Caucus.READ MORE

MedPage TodayTwo posts on KevinMD highlight the problems facing many medical students today. The first was by an anonymous rising fourth-year student who has come to the conclusion that going to medical school was "a terrible, terrible decision." It ended with a comment that medical school "is not fun. It's jarring, scary, disappointing, and absolutely depressing."READ MORE

Fierce HealthcareMany practices have implemented a patient portal, but a big challenge remains: getting patients and doctors to actually use it. Practices use portals for a variety of reasons. They can allow patients to schedule visits, pay bills, request prescription refills, check test results and communicate with physicians and staff. That convenience put online portals at the top of a list of patient engagement strategies in a recent survey.READ MORE

MedPage TodaySince the poll posted, over 60 percent of responders said "Yes" to the question, "Will President Trump's immigration ban hurt patient care?" MRI may eliminate the need for biopsy in men with high prostate-specific antigen (PSA), according to recent research.READ MORE

MedPage TodaySince the poll posted, almost 70 percent of responders said "Yes" to the question, "Should MRI replace biopsy for men with high PSA?" Sometimes it's best to ignore negative online reviews.READ MORE

Retirement Millionaire DailyAir travel is about to get a lot harder if you live in certain states. Starting in January 2018, you won’t be able to use your driver’s license as a photo ID when flying if you live in one of eight states.READ MORE

RecodeFormer New York Times technology reporter John Markoff used to think robots taking jobs was cause for alarm. Then, he found out that the working-age population in China, Japan, Korea and the U.S. was declining. “We need the robots for two reasons: On the one side, there are not enough workers,” Markoff said on the latest episode of Recode Decode, hosted by Kara Swisher. “The demographic trends are more important than the technological trends, and they happen more quickly.”READ MORE

MedPage TodayGeorgia Tech recently demonstrated a new digital health platform developed for the Department of Veterans Affairs that integrates data from practically anywhere that EMRs like Epic,VistA, or Healthkit-enabled apps exist.READ MORE

Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology via CKD NewsPatients on chronic hemodialysis due to kidney failure often suffer from depression, but they frequently show no interest in modifying or starting anti-depressant therapy, and specialists are often unwilling to prescribe anti-depressants, a study found.
The study, titled "Acceptance of Anti-Depressant Treatment by Patients on Hemodialysis and their Renal Providers," was published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.READ MORE

By Keith CarlsonAs 2017 moves into February, all eyes are on the Donald Trump administration in relation to the promised repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Nurses, physicians, hospitals, insurers and patients are all feeling the uncertainty. As the most trusted professionals in the United States year after year, nurses are seen as reliable sources of information and advice by friends, family and neighbors. How can nurses navigate the shifting sands of American healthcare and insurance coverage?READ MORE

California HealthlineA California lawmaker has introduced a bill that would ban drugmakers from issuing coupons that lower patients’ prescription copayments for certain drugs. The bill by Assembly member Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, would prohibit distribution of discount coupons for prescription drugs where a cheaper, FDA-approved equivalent exists.READ MORE